Warning – if you make these and think you can keep them around the house for a while, prepare to gain a quick five pounds. Don’t get me wrong, you should definitely make them, but it’s only safe to have a few around at a time. Give them to your friends or coworkers or freeze the extras. When these were in my kitchen I found myself making up excuses to hang out in there, just so I could piece off a bit (or five). “No seriously, honey, I don’t mind doing the dishes/feeding the baby/making your lunch”. I ended up giving them away because I felt slightly crazed when I was too close to them.
Scones usually need to be eaten the day they’re made; this is annoying. By adding an egg, America’s Test Kitchen says that they wind up being more “cakey” and for whatever reason, keep much better. They can be made up to two days before you want to serve them. They’re great warm, however, as the chocolate melts and the outside gets a little crunchy, so reheat them as instructed in the directions.
Scones aren’t healthy, and these are no exception. Usually this dough is made into 8 scones, but by making two discs you can easily make 16. That is 50% healthier (because, duh, it’s 50% smaller). Treats are treats, but there’s less guilt if they’re small. One tip, scone dough should NOT, I repeat, should NOT be overworked. Handle with care, just like biscuit dough. If it’s craggy and uneven, that’s a good thing. Trust.
Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Petite Scones
Makes 16
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen
2 c. flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
4 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 c. heavy cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp. heavy cream, 1 tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon for topping, optional
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl.
3. “Cut in” butter to dry ingredients. To cut in means to blend solid fat with dry ingredients. You can do this using a pastry blender, two knives, or your finger tips. You want to work until the butter is in very small chunks, pretty much uniformly blended. If using your hands, work quickly, as you don’t want to melt the butter with the warmth of your hands.Â
4. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Measure cream in a liquid measuring cup and then add egg. Beat lightly with a fork to combine. Whenever you measure a liquid you should use a measuring cup specifically for measuring liquids. You should put the the cup on a flat surface and measure at eye level while pouring.Â
6. Add cream/egg mixture to dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula until mostly combined.
7 Dump mixture onto a floured work surface and knead slightly to bring it all together. Pat into round ball and cut evenly in half. Form two discs about 1 in. high, 8 in. across.
8. Slice each disc like a pizza, into eight triangles.
9. Place triangles on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Space at least 2 inches apart, using two sheets if necessary. If you use two sheets, stagger and switch. This means to put one sheet on the upper shelf of oven to the right side and the second sheet on the lower rack to the left side. Switch half way through cooking time.Â
10. Before baking, brush the top of each scone with heavy cream and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar topping.
11. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
12. Best served warm. If keeping for the next day, keep in air tight container at room temperature. Before serving, place scones on cookie sheet and place in cool oven. Preheat oven to 350 and when preheated indicator goes off, remove scones. Serve.
